Amphigorey Again

Amphigorey #4

by Edward Gorey

This latest collection displays in glorious abundance the offbeat characters and droll humor of Edward Gorey. Figbash is acrobatic, topiaries are tragic, hippopotami are admonitory, and galoshes are remorseful in this celebra- tion of a unique talent that never fails to delight, amuse, and confound.  
Amphigorey Again contains previously uncollected work and two unpublished stories—"The Izzard Book," a quirky riff on the letter Z , and "La Malle Saignante," a bilingual homage to early French silent serial movies. Rough sketches and unfin- ished panels show an ironic and singular mind at work.

contains The Galoshes of Remorse, Signs of Spring, Seasonal Confusion, Random Walk, Category, The Other Statue, 10 Impossible Objects (abridged), The Universal Solvent (abridged), Scenes de Ballet, Verse Advice, The Deadly Blotter, Creativity, The Retrieved Locket, The Water Flowers, The Haunted Tea-Cosy, Christmas Wrap-Up, The Headless Bust, The Just Dessert, The Admonitory Hippopotamus, Neglected Murderesses, Tragedies Topiares, The Raging Tide, The Unknown Vegetable, Another Random Walk, Serious Life: A Cruise, Figbash Acrobate, La Malle Saignante, and The Izzard Book

Genres: Art, Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Poetry, Gothic

260 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Born in Chicago, Gorey came from a colourful family; his parents, Helen Dunham Garvey and Edward Lee Gorey, divorced in 1936 when he was 11, then remarried in 1952 when he was 27. One of his step-mothers was Corinna Mura, a cabaret singer who had a brief role in the classic film Casablanca. His father was briefly a journalist. Gorey's maternal great-grandmother, Helen St. John Garvey, was a popular 19th century greeting card writer/artist, from whom he claimed to have inherited his talents. He attended a variety of local grade schools and then the Francis W. Parker School. He spent 1944–1946 in the Army at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, and then attended Harvard University from 1946 to 1950, where he studied French and roomed with future poet Frank O'Hara.

Although he would frequently state that his formal art training was "negligible", Gorey studied art for one semester at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1943, eventually becoming a professional illustrator. From 1953 to 1960, he lived in New York City and worked for the Art Department of Doubleday Anchor, illustrating book covers and in some cases adding illustrations to the text. He has illustrated works as diverse as Dracula by Bram Stoker, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. In later years he illustrated many children's books by John Bellairs, as well as books in several series begun by Bellairs and continued by other authors after his death.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last of the Amphigorey series of four, which I realized while reading this one were published while he was still alive. I like knowing he had some or all editorial control of these compilations of all of his solo work; they are very well curated. I skipped Also (#3) by accident because I grabbed this in a hurry in a possibly desperate attempt to distract myself in the days following the election, when thumb-sucking failed. I have these on hand for just such occasions -- although there have never been such occasions before. It worked.

I love this one. I love it almost as much as Amphigorey, which contains his greatest hits. I was a bit disappointed in Too, though being disappointed in Gorey is a luxury; he gets five stars from me no matter what. I prefer Again over Too because I like the pieces better and it also contains color, whereas Too is all black and white, and because for the first time he's translated the French. Google Translate has definitely cost me some Gorey fun.

I adore Gorey. If you're not familiar with his work and need a shot of irony, wit, cleverness and creativity in word and drawings, and/or if anyone has ever characterized you as weird, you may want to check him out. His sensibility is a delight to the right audience, ranging as it does from sophisticated to silly to bizarre, often in the same work.

In Too the table of contents had no page numbers and that's true here as well. In this one it's preceded by a long list of his many pen names. Lucky for fans, he was born with a wonderfully anagrammable name. Unlike one of my two literary idols, Vivian Darkbloom, he didn't have to work hard at it and oh the joy they give me. They include standards Dogear Wryde, Regera Dowdy and Ogdred Weary and also Gary Dreadwoe, E.G. Deadworry, Groada Weyrd and, um, Om.

There are the usual cats and ballet dancers, wonderfully strange tales and mesmerizing tales told in panels of a single page. Each one is a revelation and makes my heart joyful, my worries melt (while I'm holding it, also while I'm reading it). Favorites in Amphigorey Again include The Admonitory Hippopotamus, Neglected Murderesses, The Haunted Tea-Cosy, Tragedies Topiaries, The Galoshes of Remorse and The Unknown Vegetable.

I'm glad I've got Also to go. Four will be a tough act to follow even for this brilliant, wonderfully twisted artist who led a quiet life.

While reading this, I became aware of
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...?
Knowing he collected, among others, Delacroix, Munch, Atget, Manet and Burchfield was new to me. He left them to https://www.thewadsworth.org/

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the weakest collection of the 4 by Edward Gorey. I feel like this is where the leftovers ended up. There are a few great stories in the collection, but there were many things that are short and haven’t been published. I will put the unpublished reviews in this and otherwise just list the titles. I feel the first 3 Amphigorey’s are worth it and a collector could do without this one.

The Galoshes of Remorse
Signs of Spring
Seasonal Confusion
Random Walk
Categorey: 50 drawings
The Other Statue
10 Impossible Objects
The Universal Solvent
Scenes de Ballet
Verse Advice
The Deadly Blotter
Creativity
The retrieved Locket
The Water Flowers
The Haunted Tea-Cosy: a Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas
Christmas Wrap-Up
The Headless Bust: a Melancholy Meditation on the False Millennium
The Just Dessert: thoughtful Alphabet XI
The Admonitory Hippopotamus: or, Angelica and Sneezby
Neglected Murderesses
Tragedies Topiares
The Raging Tide: or, the Black Doll’s Imbroglio
The Unknown Vegetable
Another Random Walk
Serious Life: A Cruise
Figbash Acrobate
La Malle Saignante: the Bleeding Trunk
The Izzard Book

Of the 4 collections of Edward’s works, this is the weakest. There are few good works in it and it does feel like it’s the leftovers and miscellany. I’m still glad I read this collection.

The is the last of his own works. He has many pictures for other people’s books but those aren’t collected. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these Gorey stories. He is unique and odd. No one does stuff like this and who could make a living at it. It defies genre and age and everything in the publishing industry. I will miss not having any more Gorey stories to read.


The following are only available in this collection and here are my short reviews. They did not have single publication entries in Goodreads:


The Galoshes of Remorse: 3*
A single frame of a picture. That’s all it is. A woman in the swamp. It has very sexual imagery. This is about a loose woman.


Signs of Spring {1988} 3*:
Little vignettes about signs in NYC that spring is here. I love the last set of the woman in a huge red frilly outfit who gets caught in the rain. Totally random.


Categorey: 50 drawings {1974} 2*:
50 drawings with a cat doing different things in them and there is a number for each frame. This didn’t really speak to me. It’s more of a college art project. I expect more. So far this volume feels like left- overs of Gorey. This is little substance.


The Universal Solvent {1989} 3*:
9 tiny pictures with 2 lines of rhyming text. They are more like little advertisements. Q.R.V. is the product, it must be the universal solvent and each add is totally different and absurd. I appreciate the humor, but it could have been better art.


Scenes de Ballet 3*:
These are one panel pictures with a scene from a ballet in them. They are amusing. I love his stuff with the theatre. There isn’t a whole lot here. His costumes and artwork are amazing and some of them remind me of Erte, who I also love, so it’s a great blend.



Creativity 2*
8 drawings of elephants in different and unique ways. Not much here


Another Random Walk 2*:
This little story is composed of 4 frames on one page, each with a line of text. Short and sweet it is. Some men get the idea to open a shop that has 1 item for sell a day. It is in color. I’m rather neutral about it.



Christmas Wrap-Up 2* Holiday
A colored one paneled picture of a family with their giant potted plant that they are wrapping with Christmas paper. It’s all it is. Not much here.



The Admonitory Hippopotamus: or, Angelica and Sneezby 2* poetry:
Gorey has written a 3 page poem here about a Hippopotamus who seems to keep this woman out of trouble. She never learns from her mistakes which make it sound like she murders, steals and other things. The hippo warns her and she flees. She dies at 86 and the Hippo carries her away. It was strange and interesting, but it didn’t move me or really engage my mind.


Tragedies Topiares 3*:
Another series of postcards with the theme being shaped shrubs in the shape of bathtubs, cannons and other things. The words are French and I assume we can figure them out by what the picture is about. There isn’t a caption for this set. People do die in this one as well. He loves his details in his artwork. The man was an odd bird, which is why he has such a fanbase I’m sure.


Serious Life: A Cruise 3*:
Another little story in color. This is two pages of 8 pictures tell the story of a woman falling for a man and his mustache only to find out everything about the man is fake and the woman throws herself overboard. C’est droll I suppose. This is like a passing thought, it’s there and gone and really you don’t remember it again. I didn’t think much of it.



La Malle Saignante: the Bleeding Trunk 3*:
This is told in both French and English. I do wonder if he was fluent in French as he uses French throughout his works. I assumed he knew enough, but this piece makes me think he knows his French.

This story also feels more like an opera. The story doesn’t make sense either. The end does not seem to match the beginning.

We start with a women running from an alligator in the sewer. She exits into a street brawl and then goes looking for the ambassador. She goes to see her father and more confusing characters join us. She dances with a baron and the ambassador doesn’t show up and the story seems to end in the middle of it. It feels like this wasn’t finished to me. I wonder if this is like an unfinished work. I’ll have to look it up.

The artwork is hyper-detailed. It’s beautiful. The story is senseless and not really funny either. This is an odd one I don’t know what to make of it.

This collection of Amphigorey again has been disappointing. There have been a few good stories, while the rest disappoint.



The Izzard Book 4*:
This is unfinished. There are 3-4 frames at the end with bare outlines of the picture. The words are under the pictures, but 2 of them are completely blank. The rest of them are beautifully detailed pictures.

This is about the letter Z and Edward found all these historical words beginning with Z that we don’t hear of often and did a little depiction of them. I love learning new Z words.

Zadkiel is an angel. There is Ziph, Zingaro, Zenobia, Zuleika, Zwieback, Zeno, Zmyrna - which is an epic poem with only 3 surviving lines, Zeugma - a figure of speech. There is Zenodotus - the head of the Alexandrian library, Zeuxis, Zosimus and lastly Zetetic. Those are some good words. There were others that I knew of. It’s too bad he didn’t finish this one. Zosimus and Zetetic are both blank. I enjoy his wordplay in stuff like this.

This is the last of Amphigorey Again.

[Tony Vacation · Rating 4 out of 5]

This posthumous collection scrapes up the final works of Gorey along with the assorted odds and ends that appeared in various periodicals. While the works on display in this final collection don’t have the same polished wit and virtuosity of earlier collections, they still make for a breezy and delightful way to pass an hour. I particularly loved Neglected Murderesses - a series of postcards immortalizing the lovely ladies who murder men, women and children, and never a moment look anything but ravishing - and The Raging Tide: Or, The Black Doll's Imbroglio - a work of wicked nonsense arranged as a choose-you-own-adventure and featuring surreal settings, vindictive toybox grotesques, and prosaic apothegms. As always, Gorey’s works defy the necessity of moral platitudes and present a twisted and gaudy world where deadly violence is only a page-turn away, where clever verse and obscure words are celebrated, where good manners are expected but bad behavior is never a bother, and where everything ends up being only just another ambiguity.

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really think I write about everyday life. I don't think I'm quite as odd as others say I am. Life is intrinsically, well, boring and dangerous at the same time. At any given moment the floor may open up. Of course, it almost never does; that's what makes it so boring.
― Edward Gorey

Not the floor, please; the ceiling.

Sept 15, 18

[Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ambiguous Ottoman:
A cautionary tale for incautious times

Lobstergirl had been erratic;
They found her dangling in the attic.

Giltinan, while doing math,
Dropped a toaster in the bath.

Manny made a woeful face;
No one heard him scream in space.

Ceridwen was full of pride
When she was finally zombified.

My Flesh kept singing out,
Only to be clobbered by a lout.

Daniel was a well-known cad
Who made a mobbed-up husband mad.

Stephen needed cheaper thrills;
He overdosed on caffeine pills.

Jessica was very rash;
A passing boater heard the splash.

Eric washed up on some rocks,
The victim of a paradox.

Meredith was deep in torts
And didn’t catch the news reports.

Rose was nibbled by piranhas.
Sic semper tyrannis.

Eh pissed off her Portland peers
With her pseudonymous smears.

Buck churned out some crappy verse.
His “friends” pursued the fleeing hearse.

(Note: if I didn’t include you, it’s only because you have an unrhythmical name or because I was too lazy to continue. Or because I actually like you).

[Leonardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of Gorey's unsettling and humourous brand of post-surrealist words and illustrations, from his weird alphabets to the wierd parodies of detective stories. Literary references would make him a darker Edward Lear, while his illustrations put him in the Charles Addams: a darker version of traditional children illustrations.

[dianne b. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorey does the most brilliant job of capturing all that is wonderful and silly in the people Anglo.
"In the folly a candlestick mounted on a horse's hoof rested on page 47 of 'The Romance of a Soda Cracker'." Flawlessly, and in tremendous detail, the illustrations that accompany his wit and genius are almost too good to be true. Who, but an over-resourced Brit, could have created "follies" in the first place?
The names, ah the names..."He was recognized at once by Lady Isobel Stringless, Lord Wherewithal's aunt, although they had last met seventeen years before on St. Clot in the Maladroit Islands."
He teases societal hypocrisy with generous eccentricity and leaves us giggling & much more comfortable with today's oxymoron.
Recommended for anyone who can put together a sentence and likes to look at pictures.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published after Gorey's death this feels very similar to the first three volumes. Just collects a ton of Gorey material in one handsome volume. Absolutely great stuff here.

The Bleeding Trunk may be the best Gorey artwork I've seen to date.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very end was rather melancholy, but I think Agowy Erderd, Ogdred Weary, Wee Graddory, and all their friends would have been pleased by that.

"The helpful thought for which you look
Is written somewhere in a book."

"It's well we cannot hear the screams
We make in other people's dreams."

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its more Gorey brilliance! You either loved Amphigorey and are back for more, or just didn't get it, and should probably not bother talking to me at a party.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fruitcake was sawed in blocks and sent
To Havens for the Indigent,
Where it was used for scouring floors
And propping open banging doors.

[Suki St Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It's well we cannot hear the screams
We make in other people's dreams."

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of Edward Gorey's work contains: The Galoshes of Remorse, Signs of Spring, Seasonal Confusion, Random Walk, Category, The Other Statue, 10 Imposible Objects, The Universal Solvent, Scenes de Ballet, Verse Advice, The Deadly Blotter, Creativity, The Retreived Locket, The Water Flowers, The Haunted Tea Cosy, Christmas Wrap-Up, The Headless Bust The Just Dessert, The Admonitory Hippopotamus, Neglected Murderesses, Tradgedies Topiaries, The Raging Tide, The Unknown Vegetable, Another Random Walk, Serious Life: A Cruise, Figbash: Acrobate, La Malle Saignante, The Izzard Book.

Edward Gorey has too fairly distinct styles in his work. One I call the "spooky" style, which is not necessarily realistic but more so than the "cartoony" style. While the different styles evoke widely different feelings (for me at least) the "spooky" style elicits many feelings of general spookiness, whereas the "cartoony" style is just weird. However, the actual artwork between the two styles similar in many regards. The best objective way I have for telling them apart is by looking at the eyes of the people. If they are round circles, with pupils drawn in, than it is the "cartoony" style. However, if the eyes are either hidden, or only dots or slits, then it is in the "spooky" style. I think that Gorey is best known for the "spooky" style, for example that is what the The Gashlycrumb Tinies is in. However, much of his work is also in the "cartoony" style. Most of the works in this book are in the "cartoony" style, and I was more in the mood for his "spooky" style. So that was a little disappointing, because I was looking for more of that "spooky" gorey flavor. But over all this book was thoroughly entertaining.

The book ends on a bitter sweet note by including the Izzard Book, a list of words and names beginning with Z, accompanied by portraits. Many are there, but the finished details of the portraits give way to sketches, and the sketches give way to blank frames. Apparently this is what Edward Gorey was working on when he died.

I read this book because I had just read Amphigoreys, and really dug it. Upon entering that into goodreads I saw that there were in fact, other Amphigorey books. Then, while walking down the street, I saw a hardcover edition of this book in a used book store window. It was a great deal, so going with my "spooky themed" books for October marathon, I decided to read it.

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as Amphigorey. Much of the artwork is less impressive and there's not as much good dark humor. Still very enjoyable, though. Gorey was just so clever and original and TWISTED.

My favorite Verse Advice: "One cannot hope to end one's life/With nothing but a butter knife."
The Neglected Murderess Series is a kick, as well as the The Izzard Book--an alphabet primer using only the letter Z. And hey, I even learned some new words. I like "zeugma" and will be looking for ways to slip it into everyday conversation.

[Wes Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

"To us it's very far from clear
the reasons for our being here.
We'd leave at once, but do not know
we've any place where we might go."

I simply love Edward Gorey. It's like if Donald Barthelme and David Lynch could have a child that was somehow their grandfather (thanks for hanging with me on that analogy).

[Schmacko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Gorey and his storytelling, and this has some of his best stuff in it. I will say I've finally noticed that he's better most of the time when he writes his own stories. Some of his works with other authors is less whimsical, more unfathomable, but not in a good, dark, absurd way he normally works.

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

New to me graphic book author and artist.

It took me awhile to get into the groove of his bizarre writings and illustrations. I purchased four of his graphic books on a whim and am now just enjoying them.

[Davina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amusing collection of Gorey works that showcases the amazing breadth of his talent and imagination. Some particular favorites of mine were "Neglected Murderesses," "The Other Statue," "The Universal Solvent," and "The Deadly Blotter."

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

How I miss his Victorian-tinged surrealism.

[Malcolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edward Gorey's art is whimsical and dark. He can write a story full of silly couplets that almost slaps you in the face with a sudden suicide at the end. Dark and light, bleak and hopeful, happiness and sadness. The art is black and white which mirror the marriage of dark and light tones in Gorey's work.

This is the last volume of Gorey's work yet released and it's a fine selection. The pieces won't be as timeless as the Gashlycrumb Tinies but there's some excellent pieces here. Personal favorites are the illustrated limericks woven in and the 'Versed Advice' that flip wildly from the irreverent "A one or two inch piece of string, cannot be used for anything" to the cuttingly dark "It's well we cannot hear the screams, we make in other people's dreams."

I love Gorey's work and can't wait to read the third volume I inadvertently skipped over.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished The Clothing of Books by Jhumpa Lahiri. She mentions that Edward Gorey’s illustrations are some of her favorites so I decided to get this book to acquaint myself with them. This is a very hard book to rate and review. It is an illustrated collection of his graphic “short stories”. They are “dark masterpieces of surreal morality” and “offbeat characters and droll humor”. It is a very different and amusing book. So glad I familiarized myself with his works.

[Radwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's it? no more Gorey collections? Im heartbroken. He's become almost liek a friend. This weird creepy friend who comes out of nowhere and goes on a tangent about the weird deaths he read about.

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being the file Amphigorey, this does show the decline in Gorey's ability to render really fine detail, but one also wonders a bit, if it wasn't a deliberate choice, he had mastered his art and was having fun doing other things so maybe he just dashed stuff off to meet a deadline and therefore the looser style, which is still fabulous. Of course my favorites are those that are extra British, extra dour, and end on an unexpected note. I particularly like the ingenious way that Gorey was able to take his love of alphabets and write concise stories with each word starting with the next letter of the alphabet. One day I am definitely going to need to buy all these compilations. Yes, sometimes the reproduction quality isn't the best, but they are the complete Gorey! Also, I loved finding in one drawing how Gorey had carefully redrawn the heroine's head with a new piece of paper and carefully placed it in the original. You can barely notice it!

The Galoshes of Remorse ★★★★
Signs of Spring ★★★
Seasonal Confusion ★★★★★
Random Walk ★★★
Category ★★★★★
The Other Statue ★★★★★
10 Impossible Objects (abridged) ★★
The Universal Solvent (abridged) ★★★
Scenes de Ballet ★★★★★
Verse Advice ★★★★
The Deadly Blotter ★★★★★
Creativity ★★★
The Retrieved Locket ★★
The Water Flowers ★★★
The Haunted Tea-Cosy ★★★
Christmas Wrap-Up ★★★★★
The Headless Bust ★★★★
The Just Dessert ★★★★
The Admonitory Hippopotamus ★★★★★
Neglected Murderesses ★★★★★
Tragedies Topiares ★★
The Raging Tide ★
The Unknown Vegetable ★★★
Another Random Walk ★★
Serious Life: A Cruise ★★★
Figbash Acrobate ★★★★
La Malle Saignante ★
The Izzard Book ★★★

[Alicea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I read Edward Gorey's biography, I thought it would be a good idea to immerse myself in his books which led me to Amphigorey, Amphigorey Too, and Amphigorey Again. These are collections of his illustrated works and I have to be honest that I don't think I'm intellectual enough to get the 'deeper meaning' behind his grotesque little tales. While I found some of them amusing, I wasn't overly impressed or blown away. Also, I have to agree with Gorey's biographer that his books do best in their tiny format instead of lumped together like this. Reading fatigue hit me HARD while I was trying to get through these (and they really didn't capture my imagination) so it's going to be a 4/10 from me.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

CONTENTS
The Galoshes of Remorse
Signs of Spring
Seasonal Confusion
Random Walk
Category
The Other Statue
10 Impossible Objects (abridged)
The Universal Solvent (abridged)
Scènes de Ballet
Verse Advice
The Deadly Blotter
Creativity
The Retrieved Locket
The Water Flowers
The Haunted Tea-Cosy
Christmas Wrap-Up
The Headless Bust
The Just Dessert
The Admonitory Hippopotamus
Neglected Murderesses
Tragédies Topiares
The Raging Tide
The Unknown Vegetable
Another Random Walk
Serious Life: A Cruise
Figbash Acrobate
La Malle Saignante
The Izzard Book

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I had done more reading about these collections of Gorey's works before I picked this one to request from the library. As I read it, I kept thinking that this couldn't be his best works, and was disappointed. Having read a few other reviews here,
I see that this was a last collection of his last bits and pieces.

I will definitely be more choosy with finding his collections in the future.

[Rebecca Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of works from Edward Gorey was an enjoyable read, I had a lot of fun. I love the way he illustrated, not only was it breathtaking, but even when there was something that was meant to be funny going on, the drawings made the story feel eerie. I’m super interested in reading the other collections of his works!

[Abigail Pankau · Rating 3 out of 5]

A random collection of Gorey's works, almost all of them not well-known. And it is dark and surreal like all of Gorey's works, but these are not as good as his better known ones. There are a couple excellent ones (The Deadly Blotter alphabet, the Dogear Wryde Postcards: Neglected Murderesses Series), but mostly they are just bizarre.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would appreciate this more with some context of Edward Gorey I think.

[Luke Schiefelbein · Rating 5 out of 5]

intensely weird Anglophillia